The present invention, hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name "Midnight Coral" relates to a new and distinct Geranium plant. "Midnight Coral" is a new and improved plant resulting from a planned breeding program as performed by me in my greenhouse at 821 Walnut Street, Batavia, Ill. My breeding program began in Mar. 1977, and has been ongoing since that time. This seedling was initially identified by my records as 80.times.100P, and was the result of a cross between 78-018F and an unnamed, unreleased seeding which resulted from a selfing of a Friesdorf plant (from a class of unpatented fancy leaf Geraniums) as the seed parent, crossed with "Splash", an unpatented cascade Geranium as the pollen parent.
Being a cross between two market class zonal Geranium plants, it is believed that the botanical classification Pelargonium.times.hortorum would be appropriate for this plant.
Upon recognition of the outstanding characteristics of this plant, it was selected from the progeny of the stated cross, and was set aside for further observation, testing, and was subsequently named "Midnight Coral." Asexual reproduction of "Midnight Coral" has been repeatedly accomplished by the rooting of vegetative cuttings in my greenhouse in Batavia, Ill. Examination of the plants so propagated through a series of propagations has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics herein disclosed for "Midnight Coral" are firmly fixed and retained through succesive generations through asexual reproduction.